"He's a real big loss," Broncos rookie right tackle Orlando Franklin said of Kuper. "He definitely was the bus driver on my side. He was making all the calls and whatnot. Russ (Hochstein) stepped in and did a good job (Sunday)."

Harris was drafted by the Broncos in 2007 and became a starter the following year. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles, but he hurt his back last summer and reached an injury settlement with the team.